The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) on Thursday carried out a major operation in Karachi against an internationally organised foreign group running two illegal call centres, arresting 15 foreigners, including three women, along with 19 local suspects, and recovering a large cache of electronic equipment.
Addressing a press conference at the Clifton Driving Licence Branch, Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hasan Lanjar and the Additional Director of NCCIA said that the racket involved individuals from two to three countries who were deceiving people by offering fake investment opportunities in cryptocurrency and forex trading.
They said the suspects were conducting transactions worth around $60 million, with funds being transferred through bitcoin and other digital currencies, highlighting the scale of the fraud and its international links.
Sindh Minister Zia said that the operation was launched against a globally organised network operating illegal call centres, adding that 15 foreign nationals, including three women, had been arrested, while 19 locals were also found working at the centre, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
The provincial home minister said that a raid was carried out a day earlier after reports that Pakistani citizens were being defrauded, with victims persuaded to send money and then blocked by the operators at two call centres.
During the raid, officials seized more than 10,000 SIM cards, along with 37 computers and 40 mobile phones, he said, adding that an illegal gateway exchange used to route calls was also recovered from the premises.
Lanjar said the suspects lured people into crypto and forex investments and shifted money through Bitcoin and other currencies. He added that at the time of the raid, transactions of nearly $60 million were underway.
He further said that such illegal call centres were not only involved in financial fraud with Pakistanis but were also being used for narcotics and other criminal activities, stressing that the government would continue its crackdown on cybercrime networks operating in the province.
Reporter: Aajiz Jamali